05 September 2016

I was blissfully staying in our camp for a few days walking around in and out of camp, looking for birds, details and whatever surprise that may come.

Well for a surprise I got a nice one: 16 elephants going towards camp. I had wanted to see what the Ruaha river had to offer behind that bend. The bend will be there next week so I went back to meet the elephants, up to a point of course.

But to position myself for better pictures, I had to cross the river…and cut myself from camp. I know it is not the smartest thing to do but I just couldn’t resist. We’re in the dry season so this not a challenge at all. In March…

Throw a few pebbles in the river so the stealthy crocodiles would move away. In this location that is. Our crocodiles are small. Disclaimer: “Don’t take my advice for other places and other crocodiles”. Enough Darwin Awards…

I was moving a bit military style from tree to tree or rocks while the elephants had reached the river and were about to spend a good amount of time in there.

Getting closer and closer was such a thrill, such a privileged moment. No car, no house to run too. A few times, I thought I had been spotted but no…not till the end when they left the area.

Another time when I thought this is it but no.

About 40m away safe behind rocks. Notice how the baby has rolled up his trunk. For those who might have wondered, baby elies don’t suck milk with their trunk.

07 July 2015

So I left South Sudan about 2 months ago, for a better company, much better company, Safari Air Link, based in Dar es Salaam. On top of various aircraft, the company also operates a few camps and lodges in the country. One is based in the Ruaha nat’l park and a lovely house there will my main residence for a few months a year! The location is aptly named Ruaha River Lodge, for the river passing by.

The first day I arrived an elephant welcomed me by the restaurant! Back in my old element for sure.

What a view to have for lunch…

And on one game drive, we saw the following amongst many others:

A black-faced sandgrouse and one of her 3 chicks, yes the furry ball on her left. Good camouflage isn’t it?

It’s baobab country out there.

A leopard foot print. No luck in meeting the owner though.

A greater kudu, a lovely antelope that is common in Ruaha, not so in all the other parks I know. So I was thrilled.

19 February 2013

Amboseli is a lovely little park at the foot of Kilimanjaro (which is in Tanzania by the way, not in Kenya as claimed by some crooks). The wildlife out there is made of the usual suspects but on a good day the view of nearby Kili is breathtaking. These minibuses are numerous and some of these drivers are totally clueless: they leave the engine running while watching wildlife a few meters away!! You’d never see that in Tanzania.

6 am, time to leave camp and enjoy the early light in the mist.

That’s what I mean with a nearby Kilimanjaro. The atmospheric veil helped to catch the orange light on the peak and the clouds.

This is a close up view of the secondary peak

These guys, grey-headed kingfishers, were quite easy to spot and come close, like 5 meters away.

the area is made of swamps and it is quite easy to include animals in line with Kili. Providing the conditions are good of course.

16 February 2013

Crystal River near Tampa, I spent a few weeks there for a flying upgrade.

This bar was a bit…special. I heard there used to be anti French mottos on the walls, and French people were just plainly not welcome. Maybe there is a new management and new patrons because I didn’t meet any morons to challenge my French accent (though I’m Belgian).

The front place was interesting enough: A Harley next to a Japanese bike and a carriage, an elephant, a 9/11 memorial. Funny enough the American bald eagle looks very much like the Africa fish eagle. Latin names are respectively haliaeetus leucocephalus and haliaeetus vocifer. Quite a long way to fly apart for these cousins.

The owner was pleased that I had stopped to take a few snaps and ask some specs about the car. He said people around were not nice to him, considered him a red neck and thus avoided him. Well true Florida is a nest of retired religious right wingers but then look at the car… seen from my European point of view, this car seems indeed to belong to the redneck pool.

Or this one.

Renting a discrete RV seems mission impossible in the USA…

But then why would you want to be discrete in the US?

Florida seems flatter than Holland. I wonder where this modified SUV needs such a high wheel clearance? To drive over gators?

This poor girl spent hours yelling, clapping, dancing in the sun. She still made an effort to pose for me.

21 January 2013

Karine and I went for a few days in Nairobi and Amboseli National Park. A tiny park on the edge of Mt Kilimanjaro which allows a close view of the Tanzanian peak. Some Kenyans funnily claim the peak is in Kenya. Just grab a map and though the colonial Brits screwed up many borderlines when they carved up their colonies, the peak lies in Tanzania.

A tiny park, not the wildest of all parks, some bad guides/drivers but we enjoyed many wildlife actions on top of the landscapes. Kilimanjaro is a shy mountain but we managed some good sighting over the 3 days.

A sunrise, a spectacular viewing even with the slight atmospheric veil.

This is the secondary peak, sometimes showing snow after a storm, like the daily storms these days.

A bit later, the orange hue disappeared.

The park is quite flat, made of swamps mostly. So Karine and I were keen to include animals in that glorious landscape.

A superb last minute ray of light at sunset.

Another sunrise. One of those (many) days when I’m glad I have got that great Nikon lens, a super wide 12-24mm, here at 12mm.

15 January 2013

Small airplanes tend to be crippled after a puncture, they don’t have multiple wheels…so I needed a tow machine.

elephants crossing an airstrip. Sometimes it happens while on landing or take off but they are slow and big so hitting one with the plane is pretty unheard of. Whereas zebras, buffaloes, gazelles, giraffes…are most commonly responsible for accidents.

Masai men enjoying some shade. This picture shot with the incredible Rolleiflex camera.

A storm was just making the airstrip quite wet. I had just landed (too bad I couldn’t film myself) so I quickly jumped out of the airplane and got ready to shoot the next ones.

A hot balloon in the Serengeti.

Arusha with a poorly maintained runway and taxiway some years ago. In turn the turbine engines could swallow some dust.

A BN2 just crashed after its 2 engines stopped together (!). Nice job from the pilot who put the plane down nicely.

The Navajo I used to fly some years back., Mt Meru, Arusha.

Sad sighting, a wrecked rotting DC3 in Nairobi. That’s no way to treat such an old lady.